Roseburg review. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 1885-1920, 1887-02-04
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NpIRITNILISM DEFINED.

EDITOR REVIEW: criticism OF spiritual
ism by L. c. II. and reply in late issues of
your interesting paper has set your correspon-
dent to thinking. Constructive criticism should
always be in order, and doubtless is acceptable
10 all sincere lovers Of truth. Truth docs not
shun the light, it courts criticism and honest
contrary to the false ideas we
hear expressed by superficial object
ors TO christianity, the scriptures citen com
mead honest investigation. The Samaritans
said 10 the woman, snow we believe not
because of thy saying, for we have heard HIM
ourselves" The Bereans were more noble
than the Thessalonians because they searched
the scriptures to see whether those things were
so. Paul said 81 speak as to wise men, judge
ye what l say" There is such a wide differ
ence and such a comprehensive field in what is
generally claimed to be spiritualistic teaching
that standard guage is almost impossible to
be found No single authority can be quoted
as the key TO all, we can only judge Of it by its
own claims As the late convention al Salem
has declared II 20 be consistent for spiritualsts
to be members Of any christian church, one
would think there is nothing contradictory in
their teachings or practice, but the essential
element in splritualsm ii we are to judge it by
the claims Of its advocates is a professed COM
munication with the departed. This implies,
OF course, recognition Of the grand doctrine
OF the immortality of the soul taught in the
scriptures, and seconded by analogy, and
strengthened by universal belief. Next is the
measure of conscious interest in the affairs of this
life that may or-may not be plcdIcated of pure
ly spiritual existence. The common faith OF the
christian has always been ready toreeognize in
some degree the possibility and probability Of
purely spiritual manifestations whenever in the
economy Of Gods providence and grace, ii may
serve his high and holy purpose in the saliva
lion Of men This much is conceded, and
these glorious truths are not the worse If they
should be found to be common ground on
which spiritualism and christianity are based,
but right here we part company.
That professional conversation with the un-
seen world, should be retailed out TO gaping
crowd in darkened room accompanied by the
strange gymnastics ard unmeaning per
formances of chairs, tables, musical instru-
ments, etc. at so much head, must ever be
revolving to the average intelligence and moral
consciousness Of a sane and truthful man. That
the tr,ckery has been exposed again and again
is not perhaps TO convince some minds Of the
deception, mankind loves the wonderful, and
as Barnum, the Snowman, says "People like
to be humbugged, on the other hand, spir-
itualists generally throw dlscredit on all that
is divine in Christianity. Your correspondent
Mrs. Reamcs says that spiritualists do not be-
lieve in miracles at all, but relegate all phe-
nomena and their results to the region of law
which is as unalterable as its author. The
quotation of scripture to prove theories subyer-
sive Of its foundations may be intelligent 10
some minds but to your correspondent, seems
very much like man trying TO fly by pulling
at his boot-straps, how can anyone admit the
truth of the scriptures, and deny the super.
natural? If the appeal is made to reason'and
experience, pray, what do we know Of the un
alterable laws Of nature. To deny miracles i.
to limit the almighty power Of God. There
| is as much Of miraculous in nature as there il
in the scriptures and as much that we canno
understand; it would be too much for the pres
ent paper 10 enter into a systematic treatmen
of miracles, they are not contradictions o
Gods law but the subordination Of lower Law
to higher. To say that God canno
or will not work out of his ordinary way i
to make statement without particle Of proof
Directors like Mrs. Reames are obliged to pre-
sumo on the knowledge of Gods law reveale
in the Bible thereby unwillingly subscribing t
its truth in order to advance an argumer
against it, like the man who saws off the lin
on which he stands. There is one miracle
the scriptures that even infdel writers hav
usually avoided and which is pertinent 20 tn
present discussion viz ''the resurrection
Christ" let those deny the fact who can.
admitted it carries with it all that is divine, a
that is supernatural and is at once both ii
evidence and the key to all the scriptures an
tke historical clement of the church of Chris
TRUTH